Browser-based, local-first Markdown editors that open a local folder

The short answer

A browser can open a folder on your disk and write to the real files through the File System Access API, which is available in Chromium desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Arc). An editor built on that API is the only kind that lets you mount an existing folder of Markdown and edit the notes in place, with nothing uploaded. Firefox and Safari do not support opening a folder this way yet, so this whole category is Chromium-only for now.

Everything else is a different job: single-file scratchpads, browser-database editors, self-hosted servers, cloud collaboration, and desktop apps. All useful, none of them the "open my folder and edit it in the browser" tool.

How they compare

Checked against each tool's own site and docs in July 2026. Tools evolve, so verify the current version before you commit.

The browser folder editors

NoteLoom

NoteLoom opens a folder in a Chromium browser and reads and writes the .md files in it directly. It is Markdown-first, with three views you switch between on the same note: source (raw text), live (renders as you write), and reading (clean, read-only). On top of the folder it adds a file tree, full-text search, [[wikilinks]], backlinks, tags, and a graph, and there is a companion browser extension that clips web pages and YouTube or Bilibili captions to Markdown in your folder. It is free, needs no account, and keeps your notes as plain files. The honest limits: Chromium desktop only, no plugin ecosystem, no canvas, and no built-in sync (you put the folder in iCloud, Dropbox, or Git yourself). This is the tool this site is about, so treat this description as the maker's, and check the others on their own terms.

Accrete

Accrete is the closest thing to a browser-native Obsidian. It mounts a local folder and writes the real files through the File System Access API, and its focus is linked notes: [[wikilinks]] with autocomplete, backlinks, a graph view, LaTeX math, and live preview. It installs as a PWA and works offline after loading. Two things to know: it writes a small .accrete/ settings folder into your vault, and it is Chromium-only. If you want a graph-based knowledge base on a local folder without installing anything, it is a strong option.

EzyMarkdown

EzyMarkdown is a simpler take: open a folder, see a file tree, and edit the .md files with a live split-pane preview, saving back to disk when you choose. It supports GitHub Flavored Markdown with tables, task lists, and code highlighting, runs with no account, and keeps everything local. It does not try to be a vault: there are no backlinks, graph, or cross-file search. Chromium desktop only. Good if you want the folder-editing part without the knowledge-base layer.

VS Code for the Web

VS Code for the Web (vscode.dev) opens a local folder in the browser and edits the files in place, and for many people it is the familiar option. It is a code editor, though, so Markdown is raw source next to a preview pane rather than a writing-first experience, and full folder access needs a Chromium browser. Its strengths are real: multi-file search, Git, and browser-compatible extensions. If you edit code alongside your Markdown, this is often the right call over a dedicated notes app.

Often suggested, but a different category

These come up in the same searches, and each is good at what it does. They just do not open and edit a folder of Markdown in the browser.

• Obsidian opens a real local folder (a vault) and edits the files in place, with the deepest plugin, graph, and canvas ecosystem of any local-first tool. It is a desktop and mobile app, not a browser app, so it does not fit if you specifically cannot install software.
• SilverBullet is a private, offline-first notes app you use in a browser, but it is self-hosted: you run a server (Docker or a single binary) that owns the folder, and the browser syncs to it rather than opening your files directly. Great if you are happy running a server.
• mDocks opens a local folder in the browser, but as a clean reader. It renders your Markdown and reloads when you edit elsewhere; it does not write to the files. A nice companion to a real editor.
• StackEdit runs in the browser and is local-first in spirit, but it stores documents in the browser's own database, not in a folder you pick, and imports or exports one file at a time. It shines at writing a single document with heavy extensions and publishing it to Google Drive, Dropbox, or a blog.
• markdown.co.in and The Markdown Website are fast single-file tools: drop in one file, edit or read it with a good preview, and download the result. No folder, no save-in-place.
• HackMD is a cloud editor built for real-time team collaboration. Your notes live on its servers, which is the opposite of local-first, but it is excellent when several people edit the same document at once.

Getting a PDF out

You have the notes in one of these, and now someone wants a PDF. Because these all render in a browser, the browser's own Print dialog with Save as PDF works from any of them. That baseline is often enough.

Some tools also give you a dedicated export:

• NoteLoom exports the note you have open, from the editor toolbar or the file tree's right-click menu, and hands off to the browser's Save as PDF dialog. There is also a separate Markdown to PDF converter for when you have one document and do not want to mount a folder at all.
• Obsidian ships Export to PDF in the desktop app with no plugin, built on the Chromium print engine. It handles one note at a time; batch or whole-folder export needs a community plugin.
• Markdown Viewer (trymarkdownviewer.com) opens a single .md file or a .zip archive and exports per file as Markdown, HTML, or PDF, in the browser.
• printmd is a single-purpose converter: paste or drag one .md file, pick a theme, and export. It says processing stays in your browser, and it does not open a folder.

Worth knowing before you plan around it: none of these turn a whole folder into one PDF out of the box. Obsidian needs a community plugin for batch export, and the browser folder editors do a note at a time. If you need one bound document out of many notes, expect to combine the Markdown first or reach for a toolchain like Pandoc.

If getting the PDF out is the main thing you came for rather than the folder editing, there is a separate comparison of the Markdown to PDF converters that run in your browser, covering what each one does with your file and which handle more than a single document.

PDF behaviour checked against each tool's own site and docs in July 2026.

How to choose

• You can install software and want maximum power: Obsidian.
• You want to stay in the browser, on a local folder, with linked notes: Accrete or NoteLoom.
• You want the folder-editing part, kept simple: EzyMarkdown.
• You also edit code: VS Code for the Web.
• You just need one document, fast: markdown.co.in or StackEdit.
• You want to self-host: SilverBullet. You want live team editing: HackMD. You only need to read a folder: mDocks.

If the browser folder-editing option is what you are after, the quickest way to see whether it fits is to open a folder and edit one note.

Requires the desktop version of Chrome, Edge, or Arc; Firefox, Safari, and mobile are not supported yet.